On a picture perfect evening at Vivian P. Walter Memorial Field in Paupack Township, a pair of grizzled veterans squared off in a late season Wayne County Men’s Softball League battle.

Between them, Ken Rizzi Sr. of Wargo Flooring and Ariel View Inn’s Neil Hochreiter have six decades of mound experience.

Both played for more than 20 years in the Scranton Tavern League before migrating north and becoming “elder statesmen”?of the Wayne County League.

Rizzi Sr. had the upper hand on this particular day. Wargo’s righty knuckleball specialist went seven innings for a complete game 13-5 win over Hochreiter and homestanding AVI.

With the victory, Wargo Flooring improved its record to 11-4, while AVI?dropped to 4-9.
Weather permitting, the 2012 regular season will wind down next week.

According to league officials, make-ups for Week One games washed out by rain are on tap before playoffs commence.

Big Bats
While Rizzi baffled AVI?batters with his trademark knuckler, Wargo hitters teed off on Hochreiter.

Lenny Wargo drove home the game’s first run with an RBI?single in the top of the first, helping the visitors to a 3-0 lead.

Wargo Flooring would go on to pound out a total of 16 hits and chase Hochreiter from the hill after four frames. Anthony Nicholas came on in relief and worked the final three innings.

Mark “Ma”?Bell and Brian Blaum led a balanced Wargo’s attack. Each rapped out two hits and tallied three runs on the day.

Dave “Curly” Bell, Paul Gregorski, Waldo Gonzalez and Wargo each chipped in with two base knocks.

Jake Gastinger and Tom Glynn paced the AVI offensive assault. Gastinger ripped a single and double. He drove in one run and chased home another, while Glynn added a towering RBI?triple in the home half of the third inning.